Lucca, Chianti or San Gimignano

[MJ123]

Need some advice on the Florence port. We have been to Florence a few times. Would like to take the opportunity to explore to other attractions. Our priority is to look for "scenic" trip, how would you rate Lucca, Chianti, and San Gimignano? Which one do you recommend to pursue the most?

 

Your comments and thoughts are greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

[pondnana]

On our last trip we rented a car and drove to Lucca and spent a very enjoyable day wandering around the city. We haven't been to San Gimignano or to Chianti country although we wanted to go. We found a wonderful sounding tour of the Chianti region with SunflowerTours.com but couldn,t find anyone to share it with and was too expensive for 2. Hope this helps.

[Royalco]

Mj123. When will you be in Florence? I am on the Nautica 6/1. If you are on this cruise, please contact me. royalco@aol.com

[MJ123]

Hi Royalco - too bad I am on 05/24. Missed by a few days.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

We were in San G. in 2005 and had a wonderful time. The view was beautiful, we walked through the town and had lunch at the last sidewalk cafe on the street next to the Museum of Torture. It was delightful. The stores were charming, but the view of the vineyards from the top of the hill magnificient.

 

A wonderful place to spend a day. Haven't been to Lucca but we loved Florence too....

[California Native]

I have been to San Gimi and Lucca..while I loved both...San Gimi is just a wonderful hill town with the most incredible vistas.

When I did San Gimi by cruise ship which was 4 years ago we found a private driver through the roll calls to take us to San Gimi and Siena

However, it was very rushed to do both...

total leisure pace San Gimi just by itself!

I did San Gimi by land travel 2 years ago and it was so relaxing!

[lilybug]

I would head for Chianti ... it is so beautiful and a wine tour give you a true appreciation for the excellent wines this area produces. It will be green and gorgeous that time of year.

[lcand1923]

Haven't been to Lucca, so can't comment.

 

If you are interested in wine, go with the Chianti trip. This area of Italy is beautiful and the scenery is outstanding.

 

If you are interested in a medieval town, San Gimignano is fascinating with some gorgeous views of the surrounding countryside.

[PaulaJK]

Fall '08 we toured [land] regions of Tuscany and have visited these 3 spots.

Lucca---Home of Puccini and a lovely city for wandering the ramparts and browsing through some old churches and architecture. However, not particularly scenic if by that you mean vistas.

 

Chianti--Think of it as a region. Lovely scenery. If you are hiring a driver [not necessarily a guide] you will love the vistas...can stop at Banfi or other wine/oil producers and wander through small villages, choosing a restaurant for lunch. Unfortunately, the roads are torturous [curves] and require a lot of your attention [and little wine w. lunch] if you are the driver.

 

San Gig...is a walled city w. shops & restaurants as well as sights [churches, architecture] and beautiful views from its hillside location.

You park and walk up into the city so don't choose this one if walking is a problem for you.

[shemp2000]

I would head for Chianti ... it is so beautiful and a wine tour give you a true appreciation for the excellent wines this area produces. It will be green and gorgeous that time of year.

 

We will have a rental car in the area in mid October.

 

How do you do the Wine Tour? Do you:

• Drive around looking for vineyards that hold tastings and tours?
  
• Prearrange a tour of vineyards?
  
• Or go to a tasting room in the small towns?

If it's the first, are there roads or areas that have more than others.

[swifs]

We visited all three areas by car in May of 2005 so feel free to ask me questions swifs@yahoo.com

 

Lucca would probably be the closest and the walls around the city are amazing because they are wide enough to have grass and trees like a city park. I don't think the sites are as interesting as some of your other choices.

 

Chianti- we drive from Florence to Siena through Chianti and the little towns there are wonderful. While we did not visit a winery per se, there are stores selling wine and cheese in practically every town. We did not find the roads particularly difficult but we had the green Italian touring map which was very helpful. I found the Thomas Cook Driving in Tuscany to be very helpful with suggested drives.

 

San G.- I expected to find it very touristy and to hate it but in fact I thought it was quite nice. Do go into the buildings and look around- we thought a lot of the "tours" just marched in one end of town and out the other.

 

Siena- I am going to throw you a curve ball here. The highlight of our trip was Siena. Although we loved Florence, the Cathedral of Siena which has decorated floors, walls and ceilings (including the Piccolmini Library) really blew us away. And the Civic buildings with their famous frescos are tremendous. Also their curved main "square", the Campo, which is really an oval, is very unique. There is also great shopping and eating. So if I were to vote for a one-day tour to a place that has everything, I think I would vote for Siena. Next in line San. G.